Handbedrukte trijp, dessin "Schepen", in donkerpaars, violet en rood op grijs-beige fond c. 1920 - 1930

Curator: Let’s turn our attention to this hand-printed fabric swatch by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet, titled "Ships," created around 1920-1930. It employs dark purple, violet, and red hues against a grey-beige background. What are your first impressions? Editor: A sort of antiquated adventure! It's visually quite striking, the repeated ship motifs create a dynamic rhythm across the textile. It gives off a very particular, slightly muted, energy. Curator: Absolutely. The repetition and vertical stripes speak to the methods of production during that time. I find the layered pattern compelling. Can you talk about the relationship between the image of the ship and the decorative embellishments around it? Editor: Ships are historically vehicles of exploration, colonization, and the exchange of ideas, materials, and people. It's all tangled. The ornamental details could represent idealized versions of such grand exploits—think propaganda. Even a specific memory attached to trade or travel. Curator: Interesting—that makes me think about how this "trijp" – a kind of coarse wool fabric— would have been made. These materials signal labor and access, they tell you what's valuable to the community, its relation to raw goods and trade with outside groups. The specific dyes as well were not easily manufactured. Editor: Indeed. I can see echoes of Art Nouveau in those swirling backgrounds. Yet there's a clear stylization. I feel the romanticized version of sea travel is toned down due to these constraints you note. Curator: I would also consider this textile in line with the pattern-and-decoration movement where this elevation of craft invites inquiry. This isn't "just" cloth; it makes us think about what goes into these manufactured goods and how those processes relate to greater societal movement. Editor: I agree, looking at it that way helps me appreciate how the symbolic ships play with both form and function. Curator: Thinking about its context opens many doors for analyzing meaning. Editor: A sea of opportunities, if you will.